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Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes

South Carolina rates for HCPCS 87166

Examination of fluid or scrapings under a microscope arranged so that light strikes the sample from the side, making extremely thin corkscrew-shaped bacteria stand out bright against a dark background. It is used mainly to look for the organism that causes syphilis in fluid taken from a sore, and it can give an answer straight away.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Darkfield Microscope Exam for Spirochetes cost?

$9.12

Typical negotiated rate. In South Carolina, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $9.12 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $8.71 from a physician practice, and about $21.38 from a hospital or other facility. The two figures are alternatives, not parts of one bill.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 5 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

Where it's billed changes the price

Billed byTypicalRange
Physician practiceA doctor's office, clinic or independent provider$8.71$8.71 to $9.77
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$21.38$10.23 to $30.20

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $21 · 10th to 90th $9 to $43Professionalmedian $9 · 10th to 90th $8 to $12
$5.0$10.0$20.0$50.0$100.0facility $21professional $9

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.71
Median
$27.54
Typical High
$53.70
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$8.71
Median
$8.71
Typical High
$9.77
BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$9.33
Median
$20.89
Typical High
$30.20
BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$10.00
Median
$11.75
Typical High
$15.85
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$21.38
Median
$37.15
Typical High
$91.20
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.75
Median
$7.41
Typical High
$14.45
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.89
Median
$10.23
Typical High
$23.44
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$5.62
Median
$11.22
Typical High
$13.49
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$3.02
Median
$5.62
Typical High
$13.49

Where South Carolina sits

The same service costs 2.4 times more in Hawaii than in Washington, DC. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Pick one to see its carriers and full range.

South Carolina $9.12 · 48th of 51
HI $20.42DC $8.51

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.